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Description
The idea of the project came from the shared motivation of two university workplaces to establish cross-border learning community of university students and academic staff, where participants will try to implement philosophy and practice of sustainable development and social responsible behaviour into curricula and daily life of vocational education institutions in the Czech Republic and Norway.
The target group of the project are current university students of pedagogy study field, later they become teachers of vocational subjects within agricultural or other related sector. The other target group are academic staff from Norwegian and Czech universities of life sciences. These teachers train future VET teachers in didactics, social pedagogy, environmental and intercultural education. Their main role in the project will be preparing teaching materials for two international training courses, teaching and coaching future VET teachers at both courses and sharing or exchanging good practices in terms of approaches of social responsibility and sustainable development.
The first two-week international course will run in Norway and the second in the Czech republic. At each course, future VET teachers and academic staff from partner institutions will learn and work together. The main aim of the course is to conduct several team teaching units at vocational schools. The intensive courses would bring a great opportunity to acquire innovative didactic methods and forms, to get familiar with examples of good practices in terms of sustainable and socially responsible approach in vocational education and to develop didactic and pedagogic competences in an international environment.
The project activities should also strengthen the partnership between the Czech training institute and the Norwegian university.
Summary of project results
The project was driven by the shared motivation of Norwegian and Czech university departments specializing in pedagogy and didactics to create an international community of students and academic staff. This community provided participants with the opportunity to develop teamwork skills and gain insights into the philosophy, principles, and practices of sustainable development and socially responsible behaviour in vocational education.
The project team organized two key international educational activities: a summer school in Norway, and a field course in the Czech Republic. These activities were designed for university students training to become teachers at secondary vocational schools. The programmes took place in diverse settings, such as traditional classrooms, greenhouses, and stables, as well as in Norway’s Lake Gjende region and the Bohemian Switzerland National Park in Czechia. During two-week internships, students collaborated in smaller international teams on assigned tasks, working closely with peers from the host university. A central aspect of the programme was team teaching at secondary schools in both Norway and Czechia, allowing participants to apply their learning in real-world teaching environments.
The project delivered transformative experiences for participants. Participants engaged in activities like "look, touch, explore, create, think," enhancing their connection to nature. They walked around lakes, climbed peaks, and explored local rocks, plants, and animals. These immersive experiences fostered personal insights and provided opportunities to share and reflect on these experiences with others. Through nature exploration, participants developed a deeper understanding of their place in the world. They examined how human activity has shaped the environment, questioning where it has been beneficial and where it poses challenges. And by reflecting on the coexistence of humans and nature, participants gained a sense of hope for fostering a sustainable and harmonious relationship with the environment.
The project provided both students and academic staff with life-enriching experiences, emphasizing sustainability and social responsibility. These outcomes benefited future teachers, empowering them to integrate these values into vocational education and inspire the next generation.
Summary of bilateral results
Both universities participating in the project shared several outputs, including curricula for new intensive international learning activities, study materials for a new virtual course, and the developed skills of their staff and students.Throughout the project, Czech participants learned about Norway''s strong commitment to sustainable development, social responsibility, and ecology. Education in and about nature has a long-standing tradition in Norway, with a greater emphasis on broadly conceived education for sustainable development reflected in school curricula from kindergarten to secondary school. Norwegian schools aim to foster a relationship between children and nature, encouraging students to apply their acquired knowledge in the classroom and connect it to the real world. Additionally, Czech students and teachers experienced a different approach to teaching at the host secondary school. In contrast, Norwegian students observed different sustainability strategies at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and the host vocational school. One of the Norwegian participants remarked, “We discovered that NMBU has a different approach to sustainability than the University of the Czech Republic. For example, we have integrated sustainability into all subjects, which is not the case at CZU.”In terms of long-term impact, the project strengthened the partnership between universities , setting the stage for continued collaboration. By equipping future teachers with the tools to promote sustainability, the project is expected to have a lasting effect on both educators and students, fostering responsible citizenship and supporting a more sustainable world. The success of this project demonstrates its importance, as it helps address global educational challenges through localized, practical solutions that can have far-reaching effects.